


Back Home To You

by wxlfstxrx



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, Hogwarts Mystery
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-30
Updated: 2019-08-30
Packaged: 2020-09-30 10:33:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,283
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20445704
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wxlfstxrx/pseuds/wxlfstxrx
Summary: Hi everyone! I hope you like this one shot; I was going through a particularly rough night and I am absolutely in love with Talbott Winger's character, so I decided to write about it. I used the song Fix You by Coldplay as inspiration for the one shot, as it's my favourite song and has helped me through many rough patches over the years. For Talbott lovers, I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I've enjoyed writing it! :)





	Back Home To You

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone! I hope you like this one shot; I was going through a particularly rough night and I am absolutely in love with Talbott Winger's character, so I decided to write about it. I used the song Fix You by Coldplay as inspiration for the one shot, as it's my favourite song and has helped me through many rough patches over the years. For Talbott lovers, I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I've enjoyed writing it! :)

Jolting awake, you wrapped your blanket tightly around your trembling frame. Although beads of sweat were trickling down your forehead, past your furrowed brows and eyes which were squeezed shut, you couldn’t help but feel very, very cold. Feeling your heart pounding in your ribcage, you desperately tried to calm yourself down. “It was just a nightmare, it was just a nightmare,” you chanted in your head, forcing the thoughts out of your mind. It took a while, but you eventually relaxed and leaned back on the headboard of your bed, which would have otherwise been cosy had it not been another of those nights. Dragging your palms across your face in exhaustion, you then realized you had been crying.

You glanced at the clock on your bedside table. 4:25am. Sighing, you swung your legs off the bed, grabbed your blanket and, draping it over your shoulders like a cloak, you shuffled out of the dormitory as noiselessly as you could. Peering around in the dark, you left the Hufflepuff common room and wandered into the lonely night.

The lake was one of your favourite spots to be after one of your episodes; that or the clocktower courtyard. Tonight, the cool autumn breeze whispered soothing words to you, and somehow you found yourself standing at the edge of the lake, looking into the reflection of the full moon, although without really registering its beauty.

_Crunch. _

Breaking from your reverie, you spun around with your wand drawn out. It was an instinct. You couldn’t help it even if you wanted to. Upon seeing Talbott Winger with both his arms raised beside his head, several feet away from you, you lowered your wand and let out a breath you didn’t know you were holding.

“It’s you; you gave me a scare for a moment. What are you doing out here at this time of the night?”

“I could say the same about you,” Talbott grumbled under his breath. “Anyway, I couldn’t sleep. I was up late studying for the coming O.W.L.s.”

Something didn’t sit right with that comment, and you squinted at him, searching his face for any sign of a lie. Although his eyes were trained on the ground, you could see the heavy eyebags and the way he slumped his shoulders slightly. You tentatively took one step forward, and he lifted eyes to yours, though his head remained bowed. The captivating golden eyes you found yourself lost in from time to time somehow seemed exceptionally muted tonight, and if you didn’t know Talbott any better, you could’ve sworn he had been crying.

In all the time you knew him, he was never one to show much, if any, emotion. Besides the occasional soft smile while the two of you shared Butterbeer at The Three Broomsticks, you had only seen the emotional side of him when he had opened up to you about his parents. Losing his necklace had dealt a great blow to him, and he only accepted your friendship after you went great lengths to help him retrieve it. Although he claimed it was “purely out of gratitude”, you knew that he enjoyed your company and frankly, you did too.

While you had your own group of tight-knit friends, Talbott seemed to understand you on a whole different level. Maybe it was because he too, had lost someone dear to him. You had confided in him about Jacob at some point, knowing that he could relate. _A bit too well_, you thought ruefully. He rarely talked about his parents, but when he did, you would see him absent-mindedly fiddling with the feather on his beloved necklace. _He must have been close to them._ You would catch the haunting look in his eyes as he softly poured out his emotions to you. You would notice the sad smile that graced his lips before he stared off into the horizon.

_He knew the pain. _

And you saw it again tonight; that same look you knew all too well.

“You can’t fool me, Talbott. What’s wrong?” You slowly took another step forward, and yet another, until you were almost chest to chest with him. You were about half a head shorter than him, so you had to incline your head up to look at him. He had once again averted his gaze, but he stood his ground.

“It’s not- I don’t- You won’t-“ He sighed in defeat. “Today’s the anniversary of their death. I haven’t slept in days. I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I just, I don’t know how to fix this aching hole in my heart._ I miss them so much._”

His eyes flickered back to yours, and you could see tears welling up and threatening to spill over. His lower lip was trembling, and he had subconsciously crossed his arms across his chest, protectively. Your heart clenched at the sight of him looking so vulnerable and broken.

Bringing your left arm up, you inched closer to him. He flinched slightly, but at the exact moment the tears started flowing, his eyes fluttered shut. You gently cupped his cheek and swiped your thumb across it, wiping away his tears. With your free right hand, you placed it on his wrist and slowly pried his arms away from across his chest. You stopped yourself for a moment then, unsure, but you tiptoed, reaching up to plant a soft kiss on his right cheek. As the tears continued flowing, you snaked your arms around his waist and held him tightly while his chest heaved with silent sobs.

The two of you stayed like this for a while, your own tears staining his dark grey jumper. Eventually, his breathing slowed down, and you felt his arms come up around you, one around your shoulders and the other on the back of your head, tangling his fingers in your hair. He buried his face into your silvery-blond locks, whispering a “Thank you” so quiet you would have missed it if all your senses weren’t already on high alert from your closeness. You looked up with a watery smile and used the back of your sleeve to wipe away your own tears.

Taking a step back, you turned around and moved to the spot where your blanket was lying in the grass, forgotten. You sat under the tree which always provided you a shelter and sense of comfort on your darkest nights, and leaned back against its bark, shutting your eyes. Moments later, you heard the soft crunch of leaves and felt the warmth radiating from Talbott’s frame as he sat beside you.

“... May I?” Opening your eyes curiously, you glanced at him, and he nodded his head towards the blanket on your lap. You smiled wearily and brought it around both your shoulders, embracing the two of you in its warmth. He shifted a little to bring himself lower and, without glancing at you, laid his head on your shoulder. Your heart skipped a beat when you felt his chocolate brown locks tickling the side of your cheek, and for a few moments you froze up. But slowly, you relaxed, although your heartbeat only sped up. Leaning your head on top of his, the two of you sat in comfortable silence for a long time, both wrapped up in your own thoughts.

~~~~~~

Your brother’s screams were the last thing you heard before you once again startled awake from your nightmare. Your blanket on the floor and the tear stained pillow were an increasingly common sight these days. Heart pounding in your chest, you slipped out of your room with your blanket wrapped around you. You didn’t notice the curious brown eagle perched outside your window, head cocked to the side.

You didn’t know where you were headed; the hot tears were blurring your vision. All you knew was that your feet were carrying you somewhere. Somewhere nobody would notice. It was, after all, 2:48am. Your nightmares tired you out beyond belief these days. You could barely stay awake and focused in class, and you had subconsciously distanced yourself from your friends. While they had noticed, none really asked. You had told them from the start, “I’m okay, just tired from studying for the coming O.W.L.s.” They seemed to buy it. You didn’t notice the frowns Talbott gave you several tables away in the library when you told them so.

Your hands frantically searching for the stone walls by your side, you found a ledge and leaned your weight against your arms, which were digging into the cold stone in front of you. It hurt, but you didn’t care. You weren’t sure how many more nights you could take before you lost it. _I’ll be as mad as they say he was._ With that realization dawning on you, you crumpled, clutching your head in your hands.

You suddenly felt a gentle tugging on your blanket, before warm hands enclosed your ice-cold ones. They pulled you into a firm chest, and, just as they once had, held you close. One arm around your shoulders, the other round the back of your head, calmly soothing you.

Over the past few weeks, you and Talbott had hung out more often, usually on nights when both of you found your way to the lake where you first ran into him. Sometimes you would talk, others you would just sit in silence, but always with that blanket wrapped around the two of you. In more recent days, his arm had found its way around your shoulder, especially when you had gotten noticeably quieter and less of your cheery self.

Otherwise, you would be in The Three Broomsticks, huddled in a corner, studying for your O.W.L.s. Talbott was an exceptionally bright student, since he had dreams to be an Auror after graduation. He worked hard too, and on top of that he found the time to guide you along when your grades had worsened, just as your nightmares had. He was overall very sweet and would do things for you that he wouldn’t normally do for just anybody, but he never admitted it out loud. The bond that had blossomed between the two of you was special to you, and you looked forward to seeing him, especially when the days were rough, and the nights rougher.

You shuddered as a fresh wave of tears overcame you. Your hands came up to clutch at his jumper and you buried your face deeper into his chest. “Shhhh, it’s okay... Let it all out,” he whispered into your ear. You cried until you had nothing left to cry, nothing left to feel.

“I’m just so tired, you know? For years I searched for him, not knowing what had happened to him. I thought that maybe he loved me enough, enough to come back someday. I mean, we grew up together. I never knew a life without him, and now he’s gone. Forever. I tried to be strong, to ignore what everyone was saying about me. About him. But there’s only so much one can take, and I realized when even my closest friends couldn’t understand why I felt how I felt, I just.... I have never been more alone. Except with you, of course,” you rambled, your brain struggling to keep up with the tirade of emotions you just let out.

Talbott stayed silent and frozen, still holding you in an embrace. You tilted your chin up to look at him, but he just held a steady gaze with an unreadable expression. Not knowing if you had said something wrong, you tried to salvage it, “Thank you, Talbott, for... You know, being here. I’m sorry if I’m being a burden and pain in the arse, it was just a really rough night for me, and I really appreciated all the times you’ve been around, I know you don’t like to admit that we’re friends but I really consider you as one of my clo-“

Without warning, he crashed his lips on yours, pulling you closer to his body than you thought was even possible. You gasped in shock and he pulled away quickly. “I’m sorry, I- I don’t know what came over me,” Talbott let go of you as though you were on fire. “I’m so so sorry, really. I’ll never-“

You put a finger to his lips to shush him before a small smile broke out on your face. “Do that again.” “What?” “You heard me.” Seeing the uncertainty in his eyes shifting to resolve, he gave you a heart-stopping grin, one that washed away all your fears, and dipped down to kiss you again. Your mind went blank once more, but for quite a different reason. What had been a heavy weight in your chest, lifted and exploded into a mirage of fireworks, unbridled and uncontained.

The two of you kissed gently and sweetly, bathed in the moonlight shining through the corridors of the courtyard, for what seemed like an eternity. He held you like he never held anyone else, and he let you in like he never let anyone else. In all the weeks you’ve known him, you had found solace in him, and you had been vulnerable in front of him. You didn’t know when either of your feelings had grown into something more than just friendship, but you trusted him enough, and he seemed to trust you enough too. In the darkest of times, you had found light in each other, and it was this light which had guided both of you home. Back home, to each other.

“I’m here, and I won’t let you go. We’ll get through this together.”


End file.
